Knitting-machine.



N0. 673,!63. Patented Apr. 30, |90l.

. G. EICHENLAUB.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application led Feb. 26, 1900.)

W/ TNE SSE S www (No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S s. ICHENLAUB.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application led Feb. 98. 1900.)

Patented Apr. 3o. |901.

2 Sheets-'Sheet 2 EL?. i?,

Yu: nonms PETERS ca, moro-Limo.. WASHINGTON. o. c.

. NITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE EICHENLAUB, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS BUCK AND COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,163, dated April 30, 1901.

Application iiled February 26, 1900. Serial No. 6,445. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: as to be radially as Well as longitudinally Be it known that l, GEORGE EICHENLAUB, movable therein. a citizen of the United States, residing in the 5 is a stationary ring surrounding the neecity and county of Philadelphia, in the State die-cylinder, and 6 is the rotatable cam-cyl- 55 5 of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new inder, supported by said ring. The cam-cyland useful Improvements in Knitting-Maindcr carries the usual knitting-cams, by chines, of which the following is a full, clear, means of which the needles when in active and exact description, reference being had to position are reciprocated. This cylinder is the accompanying drawings, forming a part provided with an encircling gear-ring 7, with 6o no of this specification. the teeth of which coacts a gear 8 ou the up- The object of my invention is to provide a per end of a vertical shaft 9, the lower end of simple and eliicient mechanism whereby the the latter being equipped with a bevel-gear needles of a knitting-machine may be oper- 10, which coacts with a similar gear l1 on the ated and controlled to produce 'a lace or open driving-shaft 12. On the latter shaft is a 65 i 5 work effect in a predetermined part or parts pinion 13, which gears with a spur-wheel 14 of the knitted web, and thereby enable the on an underlying shaft l5, such spur-wheel formation of a variety of novel patterns or dein the said patented machine being connected signs in the fabric and for other purposes. with certain mechanism for imparting a re- The invention is applicable either to circuciprocating movement to the camcylinder 7o zo lar or to straight knitting machines, but more during the knitting of the heel or the toe of a especially to that class of the former wherein stocking. It is of course unnecessary herein fashioning mechanism is employed for rento show or describe such reciprocating mechdering certain needles active and inactive in anism. respect to the knitting-cams in the formation The particular needles illustrated are those 75 25 of the heel and toe parts of stockings. technically termed the back-half, which The invention is herein shown and deare rendered inactive in respect to the knitscribed in connection with that type of circuting-cams preparatory to the reciprocating lar machines wherein needles are rendered operation, but which needles, in fact, while active and inactive by shifting the same rain operation effect the knitting of the entire 8o 3o dially toward and from the path of the knitfront portion of the stocking. The lower deting cams, the particular machine selected pending extensions of the needleshanks are being that illustrated in Letters Patent of the tted to the lip-projecting slotted members of United States No. 588,518, dated April 30, bell-crank levers 16, to the end that by oscil- 1895, to which reference may be had. lating the latter on their fulcra the said 85 3 5 In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional eleneedles shallbe shifted radially into and out vation of a portion of a knitting-machine emof action relative to the knitting-cams. In bodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar the said patented machine the horizontal elevation at right angles to Fig. 1,' the pattern members of these crank-levers were fitted to mechanism being omitted. Fig. 3 is a pera grooved segment 17, by the vertical recip- 9o 4o spective of the main and supplemental segrocation of which the levers and needles were ment for controlling the back needles. controlled. In the present construction, how- Fig. 4 is a sectional detail thereof, including ever, certain needles are omitted, while the a pair of needle-shifting levers. Fig. 5 is a levers of certain other needles are constructed sectional detail of the slide-plate and immeto engage the groove of a supplemental seg- 95 45 diate connections for controlling the operament 18, imposed on the main segment,where tion of the supplemental segment. Fig. 6 is by when such supplemental segment is indea diagram of the back-half needles. pendently raised and lowered only those le- 1 designates the main frame; 2, a bed or vers connected therewith are actuated to efbracket thereon; 3, the needle-cylinder, supfeet the production of open or lace work in Ioo 5o ported by the latter, and 4L the needles, fitted the bodyof the fabric. In Fig. 6 of the drawin the peripheral grooves of said cylinder, so ings the back needles are indicated in sets of four, @,which are those connected with the main segment,and interspersed single needles b, which are those connected with the supplemental segment, the latter needles being separated from the adjacent sets by spaces b', from which needles are omitted. Of course the order in which the said needles are arranged may be varied to meet particular requirements. The arrangement of needles in sets and the actuation thereof for thegeneral purpose mentioned are old. Besides, the supplemental segment for rendering certain needles active and inactive in the said patented machine was employed prior to myinvention, the said segment being carried by a frame comprising in its construction rods 19, passing freely through orifices in the lower segment, so as to be reciprocable vertically without affecting the latter, and being connected at their lower ends bya cross-bar 20, held yieldingly depressed by retracting-springs 21, secured thereto and to the main frame. One part of my invention comprehends a somewhat specific construction and organization of devices whereby the said supplemental ring is effectively controlled for the production of the open or lace work portion or portions of the web, while another feature pertains, broadly, to mechanism whereby the needles employed in the formation of the open or lace work effect may be operated to produce plain or regular work at predetermined intervals in the knitting operation, and thereby enable the formation of a variety of effects with open and regular work in alternation, as well as the production of a fabric which not only is more durable and less liable to ravel than one with a continuous series of rows ot' lacework throughoutits length, but, among other advantages, may be more expeditiously applied to the points of the looper in the closing of the usual toe-gap.

Referring to the novel features of my invention, 22 is a longitudinally-movable plate' arranged on the under side of the cross-bar 20and maintained in a normal position by a retracting-spring 20, secured thereto and to the bar. This plate is secured to the bar by pin-and-slot connections 23 or other suitable means and is connected by means of a link 24 with one arm of a bell-crank lever 25, fulcrumed on a lug or bracket 26 on the main frame. The other arm of the lever extends in proximity to an intermittently-movable pattern-chain 27, provided with suitably-located high links 28, which 4at predetermined times abut against and raise such arm, and

thereby effect the retraction of the slide-plateA in opposition to the stress of the spring 20a. In the present instance the shaft carrying the sprocket-wheel 29 for the pattern-chain is provided with a ratchet-wheel 30, with which co,

acts a paWl 31 on the upper end of a vibratory lever 32, the latter being connected by a link 33 with a radius-bar 34, which is in turn eccentrically connected with the gear-wheel 14 by a link 36.

The forward end of the slide-plate is bifurcated and is adaptedwhen in its normal position to embrace a stud 37, depending from the cross-bar 20. At the same time the lower face of the slide-plate is in contact, or nearly so, with the upper socketed end of a vertical rod 38, into which said pin freely extends. The lower end of this rodis pivoted to one end of a rock-lever 39, fulcrumed to a bracket 39aL on the main frame, the other end of the lever extending in close relation to a segmental cam 40 on the face of the gear-wheel 14, whereby during the rotation of said wheel ythe lever is oscillated and the rod 38 vertically reciprocated. When the lever-arm is bearing against the periphery of the cam, said arm is held in depressed position and the rod 38 is perforce raised. If at this period the bifurcated end of the slide-plate 22 be between the rod and the cross-bar, said plate, and therewith the bar', with its connected segment 18, will' be correspondingly raised in opposition t0 the retract'ing-springs 21, in which case the series of needles engaged with the segment will be in inactive position, and in consequence the threads in the successive courses of the fabric being knit will loosely span the inactive needles. When, however, the open space of the cam 40 reaches the lever-arm, the latter, being free, will permit the rod and its connections to resume their normal or depressed position, in which case the said needles will be rendered active, and in the knitting of the nextl succeeding course the stitches formed thereby will tie together the intervening loose threads, and thus produce the desired lace effect in the fabric.

It will be obvious that when the slide-plate 22 is retracted from the upper end of the rod 38 the crossbar, with its connections, will remain in the down position even though the arm of lever 39 be engaged with the cam 40 and the rod 38 be thereby raised and that in consequence the machine will proceed with the knitting of regular work with all the needles in action. Hence by properly locating the high links 28 on the pattern-chain the slide-plate may be retracted lat certain times and for certain periods, so as to produce courses of plain work in alternation with the open work courses or in any other desired order.

Inasmuch as the length of the segmental cam on the face of the wheel 14 determines the number of courses produced before the Ainactive needles are movedvinto operative po- 'sition for and during the production of the lacework effect, I preferablydetachably secure such cam to the wheel by screws 41 or the like, whereby one cam' may be readily removed and another, either larger or smaller, substituted therefor, as occasion may require.

I claim- 1. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its knitting-cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between IOO TIO

the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be rendered active and inactive in respect to the knitting-cams, a rock-lever, operative connections between the same and said frame, a wheel, actuating mechanism therefor, and a cam on the face of said wheel for'actuating the said lever during the rotation of the wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its knitting-cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be rendered active and inactive in respect to the knitting-cams, a rock-lever, operative connections between the same and said frame, a wheel, its shaft, a detachable cam on said wheel for actuating said lever, and means for driving said wheel, substantially as described.

3. In a circular-knitting machine having therein a circular series of latch-needles, the combination with means for throwing the back half of said needles out of and into operation preparatory to and upon the completion of reciprocating Work, respectively; mechanism for rendering certain of said back needles active and idle at predetermined intervals during the production of tubular work, and means for automatically rendering such mechanism inoperative for prescribed periods during the production of tubular work substantially as described.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be rendered active and inactive in respect to the said cams, mechanism for operating said frame, and means for periodically rendering such mechanism operative and inoperative in respect to said frame, substantially as described.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be rendered active and inactive in respect to the said cams, a rock-lever, a rod pivoted thereto and adapted to coact with said frame, a cam for actuating said lever, means for supporting and operating the cam, and means whereby said rod maybe rendered active and inactive in respect to the said frame, substantially as described.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier, its cams, and means for rendering the back-half needles active and inactive at certain times, such means including a device for independently rendering a number of such needles active and inactive in respect to the said cams, a reciprocative support for said device, mechanism for operating said support, and means for throwing such mechani ism into and out of operation in respect to the support at predetermined intervals, substantially as described.

7. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its cams, of a reciprocating frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be shifted into and out of operative position relative to the said cams, mechanism for actuat-V ing said frame, a movable member between such mechanism and the frame, a pattern mechanism, and connections between the same and said member, substantially as described.

8. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles whereby the latter may be shifted into and out of operative position in respect to the said cams, a vertically-recip rocative member to actuate said frame, means for reciprocating said member, a slide affording a movable connection between said rod and frame, a pattern mechanism, and operative connections between the same and said slide, substantially as described.

9. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-support, its needles, the camcarrier and its cams, of a reciprocative frame, operative connections between the same and certain needles, whereby the latter may be shifted into and out of operative position in respect to the knitting-cams, a vertically-reciprocative rod having a sliding connection with said frame, a lever connected with said rod, cam mechanism for actuating said lever, a slide movable to and from the upper end of said rod, a pattern mechanism, and operative connections between the same and said slide, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE EICHENLAUB.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM T. BUCK, ANDREW V. GROUPE.

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